WLL FAQs for Adjunct Faculty Members

(Updated August 24, 2023)

Adjunct support committee members

• TBD

Absences

• If you need to miss a class because of illness or any other emergency, inform the office at 503-725-3522 or world@pdx.edu as soon as possible and ask that the class be canceled. You should always email your class via Canvas.
• A quick and handy way to email your entire class via one email address is to: in the address box, type the subject prefix of your course (ex. SPAN) followed by a dash (-), the address field will start to auto-populate courses that match your subject prefix. Next, type in the course level (ex. 101) followed by a dash (-). You should now see various terms and section options. Choose your class's correct term and section number (ex. SPAN 101-004-202304 for Fall 2023). This one email address will send an email to everybody registered for your class.
• If you teach a multi-section course, also let your course coordinator know in addition to informing the office.
• If you expect to miss a number of classes because of illness or any other emergency, ask the department to make arrangements to cover your classes. Also inform your course coordinator if you teach a multi-section class.
• If you plan to miss classes because of professional travel, let the office know in advance where you will be, how you can be reached, and what arrangements you have made to cover your class or classes. Also inform your course coordinator if you teach a multi-section class.
• If you miss a class or any other professional duties because of illness, it will be deducted from your sick time, if applicable.
• Faculty members are required to report their leave hours at the beginning of each month for the previous month through the PSU banweb.pdx.edu website. You will find the online form under the Employee Services tab and the Leave Reports & Monthly Time Reporting link. If you don’t take any leave hours for the month, you are not required to submit your leave report – this is optional—but note that the department chair receives daily email notification for faculty who choose not to submit a leave report.

Auditing

• All students attending a WLL course must be enrolled either as an auditor or a regular student in the course. Their name will appear on the class list.
• At PSU, auditing is regarded as a grading option. (See “Grading options.”)
• Auditing is not less expensive than registering for a grade; it costs the same as other grading options.
• Senior citizens (defined as over 65) registered with the Senior Adult Learning Center may audit courses at no cost with instructor permission. Senior auditors’ names appear on the class roster as regularly enrolled auditing students.
• Senior Adult Learning Center’s office location: Urban Center Building, 506 SW Mill Street, room 470 (in-person assistance by appointment only); Phone: 503-725-4739; E-mail: salc@pdx.edu; Website: https://www.pdx.edu/senior-adult-learning-center/.

BA language requirement

• Refer students asking about the two-year language requirement to the Language Requirements tab at: https://www.pdx.edu/world-languages/second-language-requirements.

• Students pursuing a BS, BM, BFA, MFA, or MS only have to fulfill the Second Language Admission Requirement (102 or higher, or 2 years of High School language courses). See “Second Language Admission Requirement”
• To receive a BA, a student must complete and pass (with a D- or better) level 203 or higher in a foreign language class. (See “Passing a class.”). Classes taught in English do not meet this requirement. ASL does meet this requirement. Note that if an undergraduate student takes 203 P/NP, the student must earn a C- or higher to receive a “P” and thus satisfy the language requirement.
• Students who have acquired language skills outside of the classroom may take the College Level Exam Program (CLEP) exam in French, German, or Spanish, or they may take the noncredit proctored WebCAPE exam in French, German or Spanish. Students who speak in (sign in ASL) Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Norwegian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, and Vietnamese may be tested by a member of the department.
• Students who speak a language other than the ones taught on campus may demonstrate proficiency by taking a BYU exam or by taking an exam from an external examiner approved by the department.
• Native speakers who graduate from high school (or higher) in their native country may satisfy the requirement by bringing a high school diploma, or college transcript. (See “Native speakers.”)
• Students who cannot demonstrate their proficiency in any of the above ways should consult first with Malcolm Goldman (world@pdx.edu), then the chair.
• Email Malcolm Goldman at world@pdx.edu with any questions.

By arrangement

• All students requesting “By arrangement” courses should be directed to the corresponding section head or the department chair if the section consists only of adjunct faculty.
• Department policy prohibits adjuncts from working with students on a by arrangement basis.

Canvas

• Canvas is an online learning management system designed to create a rich learning environment for PSU students and faculty members. Faculty members can post online learning materials, assignments, updates, and messages via Canvas to their students. For the Canvas log-in page, see https://canvas.pdx.edu/
• For Canvas tutorials and to activate your course to use Canvas, see https://oaiplus.com/technology-tutorials/.
• Need more help?

• submit a Contact Faculty and Staff Support Form at https://www.pdx.edu/academic-innovation/teaching-support#gethelp.
• call 503-725-5642 and select option 1 (on the phone tree)
• visit the OAI office at SMSU M209 (1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201).

Class lists

• Class lists can be accessed via banweb.pdx.edu; an Odin login is required. (Contact OIT Helpdesk in the lobby of FMH for help if you do not yet have an Odin account.)
• Once you have logged in, follow the Faculty Services link. The Summary Class List will generally provide all the information you need.
• It is important to verify that all students attending the course have registered. (See Auditing above.)
• Remember that student ID numbers are confidential and that you therefore must not circulate the class list or leave it lying around.

Community-based learning course (CBL)

• The university is tracking courses that have a CBL component.

• A CBL course explicitly engages students in addressing community issues in order to increase their understanding and application of academic content. Examples include course-embedded service-learning, field experiences (including practicum and internships), capstones, and other community engagement or research projects. 
• A CBL course can also provide students learning opportunities in the community.
• If your course meets the above criteria, please let the department know at wllscheduling@pdx.edu.

Complaints

• Students should address their complaints first to the instructor, then to the program/course coordinator (if there is one), then to the section head (if there is one), and then to the department chair.
• Students whose problems cannot be resolved at the departmental level may go to the office of the Dean of Student Life at (SMSU 433). E-mail: askdos@pdx.edu; tel: 503-725-4422. See: https://www.pdx.edu/dean-student-life/student-conduct-community-standards.

Contracts and agreements

• No faculty member has the authority to sign contracts or enter into any type of agreement on behalf of the university.
• Contact the Department Chair for assistance.

Copyright

• We are all bound by the doctrine of Fair Use and Federal Copyright Law. See http://library.pdx.edu/services/copyright-fair-use/
• It is the responsibility of faculty members to ensure that coursepacks are prepared in a manner that conforms to copyright law.
• Any faculty member who violates copyright law will be personally responsible for their legal defense costs and any liability arising from the alleged copyright infringement.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

• Students requesting accommodations must register with the DRC (503-725-4150).
• We are required to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities according to the DRC’s guidelines.
• If you have questions, confusion, or concerns, consult with the DRC: 503-725-4150, drc@pdx.edu.

Duplicating (Photocopying)

• Duplicating has a significant impact on the environment and is one of the department’s largest expenses. Keep duplicating to a minimum by using overhead projectors, double-sided copies and half-sheets when possible.
• Do not make overheads of illustrations that are in the student’s textbooks. In general, try to use document cameras or computer graphics rather than overheads.
• Do not use colored paper for syllabi, exams, quizzes, or daily homework. This will help our department budget tremendously.
• There are also legal restrictions to the kinds and amounts of things that we may duplicate. Refer to PSU’s copyright policy at http://library.pdx.edu/services/copyright-fair-use/.
• The department staff can assist with making copies of syllabi only. All teaching members are responsible for making copies of everything else.

Email

• All faculty members are required to conduct any university business through their pdx.edu email account.

Equipment

• Equipment may be borrowed, reserved, and used by any faculty member. Contact Malcolm Goldman (world@pdx.edu) to check out equipment.
• Faculty who use WLL equipment off campus are required to complete an Equipment Loan Agreement available in the WLL main office.
• All equipment purchased from any sources of PSU funding/money (grants and/or awards) remain property of Portland State University.

Evaluations

• Evaluations must be administered in all classes taught by WLL during the regular academic year. Information that we get from the evaluations become part of our departmental profile and factor into promotion and reappointment decisions.
• All faculty must distribute course evaluation forms to their classes before the final exam week.
• If you teach a full online class, the department staff will set up an online form for your students to complete accordingly.
• Faculty must leave their classrooms during the evaluation process. A student designated by the faculty must collect the completed evaluations and take them to the departmental office directly/immediately on the same day.
• If your class ends after 5 p.m., all evaluations submitted after this time should be placed under the door. A staff member will collect them first thing in the morning.

Faculty education, professional development, and assistance funds (articles 13 & 15 of PSUFA Economic Reopener Outcomes)

• The university sets aside funds for faculty education, professional development and assistance each year.

• Faculty may apply each term for a grant from the Faculty Education fund to be used for enrollment in career-related PSU courses (Article 13).
• Faculty may apply each year for a grant from the Professional Development fund for travel for presentation of scholarly work, conference fees, professional licensure or certification requirements, acquisition of specialized equipment (such as laboratory or art supplies), subscriptions, books, submission fees, and relevant training and continuing education opportunities. Grants of professional development funds are limited to $2,000 per eligible member per year (Article 13).
• Faculty may apply for the adjunct faculty assistance funds to assist with financial hardship. Financial hardship includes but is not limited to the following circumstances or events: sudden loss of income, housing insecurity, family crisis or urgent need, unanticipated or catastrophic losses. This fund may not be used for reimbursement of health insurance premiums or direct reimbursement of health care expenses. Access to this fund is not a substitute for a health care plan (Article 15).

• See the Faculty Development Funding Opportunities web page (https://www.pdx.edu/academic-affairs/faculty-development-opportunities#professional) for a listing of faculty development awards.
• WLL also provides up to $400 during each fiscal year (between July 1 through June 30) to support faculty when presenting a paper at a conference if the faculty member also submits a funding application through PSUFA for the same conference. WLL’s $400 funding can only be used for presenting at the conference. Completing an online travel authorization for approval prior to the trip is required.

FERPA (See “Privacy”)

Final exams

• During fall, winter, and spring terms, finals are given according to the schedule published in the schedule of classes at https://www.pdx.edu/registration/final-exams. Please check this finals schedule as times and days may vary from normal class schedule.
• During summer term, finals are given at the last class meeting. Time for the final is factored into the faculty member’s teaching load.
• Shifting final exams (during week 11) to the last week of courses (week 10) is against university policy.
• Faculty members who do not administer final exams (during week 11) still need to be available during the scheduled exam time for activities related to the class.
• Do not move final exams to the last week of classes without consulting with the Section Head and Department Chair.

Fire inspection

• The City of Portland’s fire inspector inspects PSU buildings each year. There is fine for each fire code violation that is charged to the department.
• Keep all exits, stairways, and fire escapes clear of obstructions and/or combustible material. Items such as chairs, cabinets, tables, trash cans, etc. cannot be left in the hall at any time.
• Avoid using improper extension cords, multi-plug adapters, and power strips. Contact the office for the proper extension cords.
• Maintain 30 inches of clearance in front of all electrical panels.
• Do not prop open fire doors with wedges or any other device or disconnect an automatic closer.
• Remove excessive recycling and items from the floor of your office.
• Space heaters, microwaves, refrigerators, candles, incense, etc. are not allowed in individual offices and must be removed.

Grade changes

• Instructors may change an I, M, IP or a letter grade online through Banner at banweb.pdx.edu.
• Supplement grade report (SGR) forms are no longer needed except for changing an X grade.
• For grading and grade entry questions, contact the Registrar’s office at registrar@pdx.edu or 503-725-3220.

Grading options

• Students select a grading option (Audit, P/NP, or A-F) at the time of registration.
• Students who have missed the deadline for changing grading options may petition to change (See Deadline Appeals Petition at ​​pdx.edu/registration/DAC).
• Instructors may not change a student’s grading option. (For more on grading see “Supplemental Grade Reports” in this document.)
• A grade of X is issued when the instructor feels there is no basis for a grade, such as non-attendance. X grades carry no credit and are not included when calculating G.P.A.

Heritage speakers

• Speakers of languages other than English who have not graduated from high school (or higher) in the target language are regarded as heritage speakers. Heritage speakers may earn credit by taking an exam and take or challenge language courses at any level. (See Credit for Prior Learning or CLEP under BA Language Requirement.)
• A heritage speaker who has graduated through 7th grade taught in the target language fulfills the Second Language Admission Requirement and is otherwise considered a heritage speaker.

Incompletes

• WLL rarely grants incompletes.

• Incompletes should be awarded only when a finite amount of work is missing (a term paper for example) and when exceptional, documented circumstances (such as a medical emergency) warrant.
• The student must be doing at least C-minus quality work at the time of request in order to qualify for a mark of I.
• No incomplete should be given without filling out the following incomplete contract with the student. The student should be given a copy, the instructor should keep a copy, and a third copy should be given to the WLL office staff so that we can maintain a copy on file. The form is on the Faculty Resource page of the WLL website: https://ondeck.pdx.edu/world-languages/sites/g/files/znldhr2816/files/2020-07/WLL%20Incomplete%20Grade%20Contract.pdf.
• Specify what will happen if the due date is not met. One might, for example, award a grade of F to the missing assignment, and then compute the final grade accordingly.
• Incompletes that are not removed within a year convert automatically to an F.
• It is important that all adjuncts provide their section head with the breakdown of past student grades and any agreement in which they have entered if they are no longer teaching at PSU.

Language requirements

• Faculty can refer students to: https://www.pdx.edu/world-languages/second-language-requirements for information.

Last date of attendance (LDA)/participation

• To comply with the federal regulations governing Title IV aid, the university is required to gather attendance information for a specific population of students.
• Faculty members must indicate the last known attendance when entering grades of F, NP or X for students through banweb.pdx.edu.
• Entering a LDA for other grades is not required.
• LDA must be between the first day and last day of the course.
• To determine a student’s LDA, following the approved examples:

• Physically attending a class where instruction was offered.
• Submitting an academic assignment.
• Taking an exam, completing an interactive tutorial, or participating in computer-assisted instruction.
• Attending a study group that is assigned by the school.
• Participating in an online discussion about academic matters.
• Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.

• Assign a grade of X and check the “Never Attended” box when a student never attended or participated in a course.
• For more information, see https://www.pdx.edu/registration/last-date-attendanceparticipation
• For grading and grade entry questions, contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@pdx.edu/503-725-3220

M Grade

• An “M” appears on a student’s transcript if you do not submit a grade for the student.

All M (missing) grades will change to a grade of X one term after the initial term. Once converted to an X, it cannot be changed.
Native speakers

• For purposes of language credit, a native speaker is defined as a person who has graduated from high school (or higher) in the target language.
• Native speakers may not receive credit for language acquisition courses (first- through fourth year). They may receive credit for any content courses (literature, linguistics, etc.).
• An individual who has not graduated from high school (or higher) in the target language is regarded as a heritage speaker. Heritage speakers may earn credit by exam and take or challenge language courses at any level. (See “Heritage speakers.”)

No-Cost/OER Courses

• Background: in 2016, the Oregon Legislature passed Oregon House Bill 2871. SECTION 4 mandates: Each public university listed in ORS 352.002 and community college shall prominently designate courses whose course materials exclusively consist of open or free textbooks or other low-cost or no-cost course materials. The course designation required by this section must appear in the published course descriptions that are on the Internet or are otherwise provided to students at the time of course registration, including on the campus bookstore course materials list that is provided for the course.
• To comply with this HB 2781 bill, please let the department know if any of your courses will use textbooks and/or course materials with no cost to students.

Office assignments, telephones, and hours

• Office Assignments and Telephones:

• AR, ASL, CHN, FR, GER, HEB, IT, KOR, NORW, SPAN, SWED & VIET:  FMH 316 | 503-725-5226
• JPN – FMH 345 | 503-725-5297

• Student hours:

• Teaching faculty are required to schedule a minimum of two hours of student hours per week and are available by appointment for term(s) that they teach. Student hours must be communicated to WLL staff at world@pdx.edu one business week before the start date of classes.
• Do not schedule all the hours at the same time, i.e. Tuesday and Thursday from 2 – 3:30. You should vary at least one of the hours to accommodate the students’ schedules.
• The instructor must be available in their office during the times indicated, and student hours must be held on campus in the assigned office unless remote via Zoom.
• If you are not going to be in your office during your posted student hours, please let the office know so that we can inform students. This should not be a regular occurrence.
• If you step away from your office during the student hours, please post a note on the door.
• Always close the door and ensure it is locked before leaving for any period of time.

Outside employment

• There are all sorts of rules and regulations governing employment outside of the department within PSU. Please contact the department manager for assistance before accepting another paying position at PSU.

Passing a class

• If a student is taking a class for a letter grade, a D- or higher is considered a passing grade. A student earning a D- in a 203 class thereby satisfies the PSU Second Language Requirement.
• A student must receive a C or higher in a course for it to count towards the major or minor.
• If an undergraduate student is taking a class P/NP, a C- or higher is considered a passing grade.
• If a graduate student is taking a class P/NP, a B- or higher is considered a passing grade.
• No class taken P/NP can count towards a major or a minor.
• A grade of P carries credit but is not included when calculating the GPA. A grade of NP does not carry credit nor is it included when calculating the GPA.
• GTAs cannot receive lower than a B- in a course and maintain their TAship. They must maintain an overall 3.0 GPA.

Plagiarism

• The PSU Bulletin defines plagiarism as “[t]he appropriation of language, ideas, and products of another author or artist and representation of them as one’s own original work.”
• In language classes, writing assignments may not be corrected or translated by an outside source such as a tutor, a friend, or a computer. Tutors at The Learning Center (2nd floor Millar Library) and within WLL (FMH M417/419/421) guide students towards the correct answer and are discouraged from correcting errors directly as this violates the plagiarism policy.
• If a student plagiarizes, he or she receives a “0” for that assignment. The faculty member must explain this to the student.
• In the case of undocumented inclusions of material from the Internet (“cut and paste” plagiarism), document the plagiarism and report it to the Office of the Dean of Student Life (e-mail: askdos@pdx.edu; tel: 503-725-4422).
• For details on these and other infringements, see the PSU Code of Student Conduct (https://www.pdx.edu/dean-student-life/psu-student-code-conduct)

Preventing Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory and Sexual Harassment Training

• All PSU faculty, staff, and student employees must complete the "Preventing Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment" learning module. This is a new training and all employees are required to complete it (whether or not employees completed the former module Creating a Culture of Respect).
• Instructions on how to access the online module can be found at https://www.pdx.edu/diversity/preventing-prohibited-discrimination-and-discriminatory-and-sexual-harassment-training-employees.
• If you have any questions about the module, please contact the Office of Equity & Compliance at pdhmodule@pdx.edu.
• Please inform the department at world@pdx.edu when you completed this training.

Privacy (FERPA)

• We are all bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Its protections apply to students of any age, even minors.
• Violations of FERPA include:

• passing around a sign-in sheet on which student ID numbers appear;
• leaving graded exams or papers on one’s office door, even in an envelope;
• handing graded papers back to students face up so that others can see their grades;
• discussing student grades in front of others;
• discussing a student with a third party (such as a parent) without a written FERPA release from the student.

• No information may be released for students whose records are marked “confidential.” The standard reply is, “There is no information available on that person.”
• Only directory information may be released for students whose records are not marked “confidential.”
• Refer all other requests to the Office of Admission, Registration, and Records.
• For more information see https://www.pdx.edu/registration/student-records-privacy-policy
• See a complete description of FERPA at: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html.

Registration overrides

• Instructors can now lift registration restrictions for their students to register directly in Banweb.
• This functionality is available to any teaching faculty members. You must be the primary instructor for the course in order to provide a registration override for your students.
• Instructors will be able to override prerequisites, co-requisites, class/level/major restrictions, student attributes, departmental approval and time-conflicts during pre-term registration as soon as priority registration opens for a term.
• Once the term begins, instructors will be able to override class capacity as well, approving students from a waitlist or approving students to add into a full class.
• After you have submitted an override, your student must then log in to their own Banweb account and register for the class.
• See https://www.pdx.edu/registration/faculty-registration-override for more information on how to provide registration overrides for your students in Banweb.

Room and class scheduling

• Class times are determined by section heads/language coordinators and will not be changed without their approval.
• Requests to change the room assigned for your class should be directed to WLLscheduling@pdx.edu. Requests should be based on necessity such as:

• the room is not large enough to accommodate the students
• back-to-back classes are scheduled across campus from each other
• to accommodate a student with a disability

Social media

• WLL has a Facebook page (Portland State University World Languages & Literatures) to promote student and faculty successes, course offerings, events, news, etc. The page is not currently available, but this section will be updated when the account is reactivated.
• To share something through the account, e-mail world@pdx.edu.

Special registration forms

• Special registration forms permit students to register for scheduled classes. They are typically used when a student has missed an add/drop deadline or to bypass prerequisites.
• Special registration forms are not used to register students for unscheduled classes. (See “By-arrangement.”)

Student code of conduct

• Students who are disruptive in class or violate the Student Code of Conduct in any way should be reported to the Office of the Dean of Student Life. (See “Plagiarism.”)

Technology support

• CLAS IT provides technical assistance and computer support to faculty and staff members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The team can be reached at clas-it-group@pdx.edu.
• For technology issues, email CLAS IT at clas-support@pdx.edu.
• Audio Visual Services (A/V) checks out equipment and provides training to instructors to use equipment in classrooms. To reserve A/V equipment or schedule training, contact A/V Services at 503-725-4357 or av@pdx.edu; see https://www.pdx.edu/technology/classroom-av for more information. Equipment formerly available at AV checkout will be available at the Library’s Circulation Desk.
• To replace printer toner, contact the office at 503-725-3522 or world@pdx.edu.
• For other technology questions or assistance, contact the WLL office at 503-725-3522 or world@pdx.edu.

Travel

• Completing an online travel authorization form prior to the trip is required. Unauthorized travel/travel without completing the required form will not be reimbursed. See http://www.pdx.edu/financial-services/travel for the links to travel forms. Contact Adam Healy (healyad@pdx.edu) for assistance with these forms.
• As a rule, one should use the per diem allowance when requesting reimbursement for professional travel expenses rather than submitting receipts.
• We strongly recommend you to fly on a single ticket, and when multiple airlines are involved, have them be partner airlines. The department will not, of course, tell you which flights to select, or how to spend your travel money. But NOTE that if you choose a cheaper arrangement with two tickets, you choose the more risky ticket at your own risk and the department will not reimburse you for expenses related to missed flights.
• Travel receipts must be submitted within 30 days of travel for reimbursement. All receipts should each have a date and business purpose. PSU’s annual fiscal year end date is June 30. If your conference, workshop research trip, etc. is completed in June, you must complete your online travel reimbursement form and upload all travel receipts in the system by June 30.
• Please work with the Department Chair when you book your trip.

X and M grades

• A grade of X means “no basis for a grade.” Award it only to students who never attended a class at all or who made a brief cameo appearance during the first week of classes. Do not use X as a gentle substitute for F.
• An M grade will appear on the transcript for any student not receiving a grade.  
• All M (missing) grades will change to a grade of X, one term after the initial term. Once converted to an X, it cannot be changed.
• Students will occasionally ask for an X or M grade in lieu of a poor grade. These grades should never be given at the request of a student. See http://www.pdx.edu/registration/online-grading for a full explanation of the grading policy.